ws: 76-DAILY
vertising: 764-0554

WEw

*ri

One hundred seven years of editorialfreedom

Tuesday
March 31, 1998

.
s .-. 5 ' { y($ c Z EN ., ,,, ,v, r"S.,".+ .. ... : .....S nm af "u Ca x J'' t , n F:?'1 I : ti: ~ J "a 5' y A :x S .a:u m "'Cp +Ilt ',.;.
c_ .

I

ayof
cti on to
e place
morrow
Susan T. Port
ly Staff Reporter
Attempting to rekindle the student
tivism of the '60s and '70s, a coali-
n of student groups is organizing
mpus events for a second National
y of Action in support of affirmative
n. The event is scheduled for
morrow.
The first National Day of Action,
Id Feb. 24, consisted of sit-ins, ral-
s and teach-ins. But tomorrow's
:tivities will consist of a rally with
eaker Wendell Anthony, president of
e Detroit chapter of the NAACP, and
arch scheduled to begin at noon on
e steps of Angell Hall.
At 1:30 p.m., immediately following
arch, a mass meeting is planned
iscuss a strategy for defending
irmative action.
The student organizations sponsor-
g the National Day of Action include
ademics for Affirmative Action and
cial Justice, Alianza, the Coalition to
fend Affirmative Action By Any
eans Necessary, the Black Student
nion and the Native American
udent Association.
udents from 40 other colleges
ss the country, including the
niversity of California at Berkeley,
ory University and Columbia
iversity, are planning to join the
ovement to defend affirmative action.
Lee Felarca, a member of BAMN,
nded out fliers on the Diag yesterday
let students know about the day of Ralph Nader,
,tion. students to b
Felarca said the first National Day
Action alerted campuses nation-
of the need to speak up and
fend affirmative action.
"It's not just a day of action," Felarca
id. "This one could truly have a
tional character."
Felarca said that about eight Law
hool students in the state of New By Reilly Brennan
rk called for the second day of action Daily Staff Reporter
be held tomorrow. A movie made 1
"This is exactly what we have been tions in Ann Arbor
ing for," Felarca said. "We are four years ago. Bu
ing to foster a new civil rights hot movie, the filr
ovement, not just another demonstra- and letdowns of b
n" In the summer
Felarca said he expects many Nowhere" was sh
niversity students will attend the ed and produced
y's events. whom were Univ
"There is a lot more recognition calculated, the pro
ming out as a collective group in The film, which
pport of affirmative action," Felarca in Utah, eventual
id. "We should continue as a campus major film distrib
help build and lead this national potential, said Un
ment" ducer.
SA junior Andrea Holoweiko said Rad, who also
e does not see a need to recognize a potential, but the
cond National Day of Action, adding its obligations.
at she did not agree with student orga- "MGI Internati
tions' encouragement of skipping cities," Rad said.
sses for the day this past February. Angeles."
"I don't think it's called for in the Steve Chbosky
st place," Holoweiko said. "The parents put a se
niversity is on their side." finance the film.
Holoweiko said the issues are troubles, most of
See ACTION, Page 7 the experience.
ourt to rule on

IV legal status
s Angeles Times
ASHINGTON - Debating its first case involving
andmark federal civil rights law for the disabled, the
preme Court appeared closely divided yesterday
out whether the measure should protect all of the
'arly 1 million Americans who have the AIDS virus or
ly those for whom the disease impairs walking, see-
g, hearing or working.
A ruling, due by late June, also may determine
hether the law will cover the millions of others who
ve diseases or conditions - such as cancer, heart dis-
se, diabetes and epilepsy - that restrict their lives but
ot always incapacitate them.
e case before the court concerns a Maine woman
ho had HIV but no symptoms of AIDS. But she con-
nded she was disabled because she could not have
ildren, for fear that the baby would be born with the
rus.
Justice Stephen Breyer, taking a broad interpretation


ider:

Strive for justice, rights

Activist calls
for corporate
responsiblit
By Lee Palmer
Daily Staff Reporter
Renowned consumer and environmental advocate
Ralph Nader condemned abuses of corporate power
before an audience of 1,200 people in the keynote
address for Serve Week held last night at the Michigan
Theater.
Nader's speech chronicled the history of corporate
power in the United States and its recent expansion into
academic, religious, communication and political
realms.
"Over the last 200 years, corporations have evolved
into exquisite machines of privileges and immunities ...
nothing is off limits anymore," Nader said, noting the
University's affiliation with Nike.
Nader warned audience members of the dangers of
allowing professionals such as lawyers or doctors to con-
sider their work as "just another business."
"Professional standards are supposed to offer preventa-
tive measures," he said.
Because many doctors and lawyers are motivated sole-
ly by profits, they give up professional standards and their
independence through corporate control, Nader said.
Many event attendees and organizers said Nader was an
ideal keynote speaker for Serve Week. The event also was
sponsored by University Activities Center and the School
of Natural Resources.
"During Serve Week, we do a lot of hands-on, grassroots
service programming" said Business junior Spencer Preis,
who headed the Serve Week committee that brought Nader
to campus. "We wanted a speaker who could tie together
the academic and political elements of social activism."
Nader, who has dedicated his life to public service, said
See NADER, Page 2

JOHN KRAFT/Daily
a renowned environmental advocate, speaks before an audience of 1,200 people yesterday in the Michigan Theater. Nader urged
e well-educated and to learn about past social movements.


eased film hits dead end

in
by University graduates at 47 different loca-
r drew critical acclaim after it was produced
t in the years following the bliss of having a
m's producers have dealt with the headaches
otched contracts with major film distributors.
of 1993, the movie "The Four Corners of
ot entirely in Ann Arbor and written, direct-
by recent college graduates - some of
ersity alumni. When the total budgets were
ject cost nearly $300,000.
h played at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival
ly was plagued with problems caused by
butors and did not live up to its expected
iversity alumnus Julian Rad, the film's pro-
acted in the film, said the movie had great
distributor he contracted did not live up to
onal said that our film would run in 56
"It ended up showing in only one - Los
, the film's writer and director, said his
cond mortgage on their house to help
He said that despite the film's financial
the people involved have benefitted from

"It was a special time, and to be able to even make a movie
is great," Chbosky said. "But we lost our shirts with this
film."
The Generation X movie could be appropriately put along-
side "Singles" in a videostore, Rad said.
Rad said that during the Sundance Film Festival, the
show received rave reviews and should have been signed
by a major distributor, if a few mishaps had not
occurred.
"A lot of things went wrong at Sundance," he said. "There
was a leak that Miramax was planning on signing with us, but
we never signed anything with them."
From that point, no other distributors wanted to touch
the rights to "Four Corners," Rad said. The work sat dor-
mant for more than one year until MGI International, a
new distributor at the time, signed the film and promised
big results - a nationwide release, a gigantic opening-
night event in Los Angeles and a large share of the film's
profits.
Rad said he has not yet received any payment from MGI,
two years after the contract was originally signed.
Colleen Meeker, who works for MGI and signed the deal
with "Four Corners," said her company cannot afford to sup-
port the film any longer.
"The film opened in L.A. and got terrible reviews," she
said. "We did the best we could, but I had to pull out because
it was a poor film'
See FILM, Page 7

LOUIS BROWN/Daily
University alumnus Julian Rad produced the film "The Four Corners of Nowhere."
The movie never hit theaters due to distribution problems.
MSA, Law students


We all scream for ice cream

debate fee
By Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud
Daily Staff Reporter
As part of the ongoing debate about
the legality of the Michigan Student
Assembly's proposed student fee
increase to fund a campaign for a stu-
dent regent, students with differing
views on the issue met yesterday to
share their differing points of view.
MSA officials joined concerned Law
students to look at the draft of a letter the
students plan to send to Michigan
Secretary of State Candice Miller. In the
letter, the students allege that MSA
would violate the Michigan Campaign
Finance Act if it spent the fee increase
students approved in this winter's elec-
tions to gather signatures for a referen-
dum asking state voters to endorse the

legality
The act says a public body is "any other
body that ... is primarily funded by or
through state or local authority."
The law students argue that the fee
increase, which would be collected by
the University Office of the Registrar is
funded through a state authority.
But MSA officials contend the
assembly's status is as a corporation. Ifs
tax filings show that it is a private body
and not governed by the MCFA.
"The crucial issue is whether MSA is
a public body for the purpose of
Michigan election law," said Law sec-
ond-year student Dante Stella, special
counsel to MSA. "MSA is confident that
the regents' tax filings, MSA tax filings
and documents of incorporation demon-
strate that it is not a public body'

I t. ~~Wt$7 ~ I I